MIA FLASH

18:00/ 6 April 2020

Skopje – NATO membership is one of the most important moments in the country’s recent history, namely since we gained independence, said President Stevo Pendarovski in his video-address for Monday’s online discussion themed “NATO Membership – Global risks and threats: Challenges and Opportunities”, organized by the Skopje-based Faculty of Security and the American Corner Skopje/American Educational Center.

Skopje – Benefits of the NATO membership have proved to be efficient in the coronavirus efforts. We have activated the NATO civil emergency response mechanism and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. EU and NATO were the first to provide assistance and this shows the importance of our strategic partnership, Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski told Monday’s online discussion “NATO Membership – Global risks and threats: Challenges and Opportunities”, organized by the Skopje-based Faculty of Security and the American Corner Skopje/American Educational Center on April 4-NATO Day.

Skopje – Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said Monday that North Macedonia has requested assistance and support from several countries in dealing with the spread of the coronavirus, adding that talks have taken place with counterparts and using NATO and EU mechanisms.

Skopje – The Government launched Monday the first call center supporting businesses and citizens for questions related to the COVID-19 measures in the economic field.

Skopje – No crystal ball exists to predict a crisis, however there are tools, such as strategic analyses and intelligence by NATO services that are updated every year, Head of NATO Liaison Office in Skopje, Colonel Zoran Jankovič, said Monday.

Skopje – The Government has decided, upon a proposal by the Commission on Infectious Diseases and the Crisis HQ, to extend the curfew at the entire territory of the country as of Wednesday. On weekdays, citizens’ movement is prohibited from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. on the following day, says Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski in a Facebook post.

Skopje – The U.S. Government has committed $1.1 million to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in North Macedonia. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States is providing these funds to the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund – UNICEF to implement activities to support the country’s efforts to respond to the COVID-19.

Skopje – Current issues related to the coronavirus outbreak and experiences in addressing the pandemic were discussed Monday by VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.

Skopje – The OSCE Mission to Skopje, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of North Macedonia and the National Network to End Violence against Women and Domestic Violence call upon the relevant actors to make additional efforts to prevent domestic violence during the COVID-19 crisis and to put in place effective victim protection mechanisms.

Skopje – Restrictions on movement enforced as of Wednesday are simply a must in order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, said doctor Vladimir Mikikj of the Institute for Public Health.

Skopje – In the past 24 hours, 15 patients have tested positive for the coronavirus in North Macedonia, bringing the total number of cases to 570, Health Minister Venko Filipche said at a press conference Monday.

Belgrade – Roughly one in 12 Covid-19 patients in Serbia is a medical worker, according to figures the country reported on Monday.

Moscow – Russia reported nearly 1,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, its largest jump since the pandemic began, as regions throughout the country maintain lockdown quarantine measures.

Vienna – The Austrian government announced on Monday that it will start to loosen strict measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak after the Easter weekend.

New York – U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned Americans on Sunday to brace for a hard week of coronavirus deaths.

This material may not be stored, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form, except with the prior express permission of Media Information Agency. Every intrusion and abuse of MIA website is penalized in line with Articles 251 and 251a of the Criminal Code of the Republic of North Macedonia. Legal consultant and representative: Lawyer Slagjana Serafimova.